Seasoning Season 8

Starting a thread to imagine Season 8 episode ideas. Add to it if you like.

I like the idea of another two-parter like TNG did with the Klingons, Romulans, Borg, and Cardassians. What about one with the Ferengi that vindicates them as villains? Something showing their threat to the universe, not as Klingon or Romulan-like imperial conquerors, but as conquerors using economics and culture. Something seedy maybe that would fit better on Farscape or Star Wars? Or something very lofty showing how easily some cultures would more likely be keen on Ferengi economics than Federation. Look how difficult it is for us to accept the Federation moneyless economy - maybe if we given overtures by the Federation or the Ferengi Alliance we'd find ourselves indentured servants of the Alliance. Maybe the Ferengi could never have been as sexy villains as the Romulans or Cardassians, but they could have been more widespread, insidious, and loathsome.

A very fannish notion it might be, but I'd have liked to have seen a 'proper' crossover between TNG and DS9. Maybe as one of those epic sized two parters so that they could afford to employ more than one of DS9's cast to appear.

A very fannish notion it might be, but I'd have liked to have seen a 'proper' crossover between TNG and DS9. Maybe as one of those epic sized two parters so that they could afford to employ more than one of DS9's cast to appear.

Click to expand...

Never been a fan of crossovers. They never seem to work as well in action as in theory.

A very fannish notion it might be, but I'd have liked to have seen a 'proper' crossover between TNG and DS9. Maybe as one of those epic sized two parters so that they could afford to employ more than one of DS9's cast to appear.

Click to expand...

When the two series were airing simultaneously, I wished they had a done a two-parter like that, with the setup on TNG and the resolution on DS9. It could have included a scene establishing Worf's interest in the station, though at that point they probably weren't even considering it.

Well if we're just dreaming, then the entire season 8 should revolve around the Enterprise being permanently stationed at Betazed and the crew given a new year-long mission to conduct Betazoid weddings.

I would have liked to see a continuation of the Ensign Sito subplot of "Lower Decks." It would have been nice to see her turn up alive at some point; perhaps she was in prison on Cardassia and made her escape somehow. I know it was the intention of the DS9 writers to continue this and they never did, so TNG would have been a logical place to do it.

Let's just assume that Generations never happened (thank god). I would like to have seen an episode or arc that properly fleshed out Guinan's past, her exile, and her relationship with the Borg and Q. That would have been something to see, as opposed to the topical dressing we got in the film.

In continuation of the previous premise, I would have liked to see Data perhaps try the emotion chip, but have it fail and almost cause a cascade failure, a la "The Offspring." Although, the episode should end with Data realizing that he does have a very limited degree of emotive ability anyway (and there are countless examples of this throughout the series)--maybe his positronic brain has formed new connections over the span of his lifetime to the point where he does have some emotions already, even if he thinks he doesn't (he just doesn't have a frame of reference to prove they are emotions). This is a good opportunity for metaphor--the idea that taking shortcuts isn't always the best course of action. Data realizing he's already making progress without resorting to a quick fix would be admirable.

Speaking of which, Lal's lifeless corpse is still onboard--it would have been nice to see a continuation episode of that. Maybe Data finds another Soong-type expert or associate of Soong's that could help him repair Lal. I don't know, I just liked Lal so much.

More Ensign Ro. More encounters with her would have been great--obviously now that she is AWOL and full-time Maquis.

I hesitate to bring back the insects from "Conspiracy," but it was such a bizarre dangling thread that the writers never followed through on. Maybe there would have been a way to make a logical conclusion to it. Maybe they just worshiped the Borg as gods, and wanted to be assimilated? I don't know--that probably doesn't even deserve an episode.

A proper ending to Worf and Troi.

I really would have liked to see Picard get promoted to Admiral, or him leaving Starfleet to be an archaeologist, and Riker taking command. Riker had been first officer way too long already, and his refusal to take new commands became comical after a while. And seeing him in, say, Insurrection, still a first officer, is outright absurd.

The Enterprise should have crash-landed on a strange planet. The survivors end up on a strange island populated by polar bears, a mysterious French lady and a group of natives that don't want the crew there...

Honestly, I would have done Generations about 1/3 of the way through, then done part of the season with the crew without the Enterprise. Do mini arcs with them stationed on other ships or stations. Send Geordi and Data, perhaps, to work on the construction of the E and include Leah Brahms. At this point, change the opening titles as well to look similar to DS9, but with the E in various stages of construction each week. Wind up the season with a finale involving the launch of the E and her first shakedown cruise. Make that one the series finale, leading up to the first movie: First Contact.